According to failed AMS presidential candidate Owen Rocchi, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither is Queen’s student government.
Following four hours of debate, Team LOT—Owen Rocchi, Comp Sci ’24, Leo Yang, ArtSci ’25, and Tyler Tâm Trần (also known as Triple T), Comm ’25—lost a vote of confidence on Feb. 13. All three outgoing AMS executives voted no.
The AMS has re-opened the executive candidate nomination period, and in an unprecedented scenario, candidates are running alone. AMS Assembly will reconvene after reading week to finally elect the next leaders of Queen’s undergraduate student government.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it’s important to realize that a lot of the changes are bigger than yourself,” Rocchi said. Seventy-seven per cent of Assembly voted against Team LOT.
All of Team LOT, and candidates from past teams this season, remain eligible to hold office.
The loss marks a milestone for former Vice-President (University Affairs) candidate Yang, who has now lost his second election in two weeks. Yang fielded questions throughout the debate on his marketing tactics during his Rector campaign, where he ran against Rector-elect Niki Boytchuk-Hale.
Sophia Thurston, EngSoc vice-president (student affairs), questioned Yang on specific public statements he made during his Rector campaign.
“You said publicly the AMS is a corrupt system. What do you believe is corrupt about it and what will you do to fix it,” Thurston asked.
Yang responded by explaining there is limited ability within the organization and plans to focus on improving internal policies.
Trần, running for AMS vice-president (operations), fielded questions on the AMS’s finances, including the possibility of the AMS becoming a remote workspace as the SLC fee failed at referendum.
“The JDUC is an incredible opportunity that is priceless, and won’t present itself again,” Trần said.
For Trần, the physical community of the AMS, and Queen’s, will be grounded in the JDUC. Without it, he expects student engagement to dwindle. He plans to save money and reduce costs amongst services to ensure the AMS can afford rent in the new space.
With a short nomination period, and no campaign, Team LOT itted they didn’t consult with as many student groups as they would’ve liked. Assembly questioned the team on how they would ensure all students, including those feeling uncomfortable with policing services, are safe during events.
Ex-presidential candidate Rocchi fielded questions about how his student engagement strategy would differ from the AMS’s current activities.
“It’s easy to put blame of engagement on students […] I think it’s more important to put those responsibilities on ourselves to provide the most easy, convenient, and safe space for people to come forward to engage,” Rocchi said.
Team LOT described using focus groups and surveys to understand the barriers to student engagement, along with improving the AMS’s social media strategy.
When asked why Team LOT didn’t come forward earlier, Rocchi acknowledged the job is daunting, but he felt a responsibility to step up when no one else did.
“I do think this is the responsibility of students to step up and try to get the most qualified person in this role,” Rocchi said.
In his closing statement, Yang went back on his team.
“I think we should break the slate, to give more students the opportunity to run,” Yang said.
Tags
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be ed, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.